THE body of a German shepherd dog named Bruno was found decomposing in a locked garage after his owner reportedly abandoned him.

The animal’s remains were found at a property in Littlefields Avenue in Banwell, after more than a year of apparent neglect.

Bruno’s owner has not yet faced any criminal proceedings for the dog’s death and the RSPCA has not said it is investigating the case.

According to neighbour’s reports, Bruno was dumped in the garden with no food or shelter during last January’s snow.

After hearing the creature howling and crying, neighbours called the RSCPA to explain their concerns about his welfare.

Several neighbours say they voiced concerns to the animal charity on a number of occasions, but say nothing was done.

Bruno’s owner left the property he was renting in January and those living nearby assumed he had taken his pet.

But Bruno was muzzled and abandoned in a locked garage, where he was left to die.

In February, tradesmen found his decomposing body in the garage when they tried to enter to carry out general maintenance for prospective new tenants.

A RSPCA spokesman said: “RSPCA staff are devastated to hear about the death of poor Bruno.

“We were contacted last summer about him.

“The concerns raised were that a dog was kept in a garage during the daytime.

“However, the callers had not seen Bruno and were unable to give us any information about his environment or condition.

“Unfortunately, as we receive more than one call every 27 seconds and we have very limited resources.

“We have to prioritise those animals that are either suffering or in imminent danger.

“Whilst this is a far from ideal way to keep a dog, we had no evidence or reason to believe that this dog was suffering or that his welfare needs were not being met so sadly this call was never passed onto our inspectors.”